When Dancing with the Stars included Anna Delvey among its list of stars, fans and insiders alike raised eyebrows. As it turned out, Maksim Chmerkovskiy was among the eyebrow-raisers. After Season 33’s premiere, he couldn’t hold back his criticism any longer.
However, despite Maksim’s voice arguably being the most prominent, his takes weren’t entirely unique. Almost everyone criticized DWTS for Anna’s casting, stretching the definition of what ‘stardom’ truly entailed. Wouldn’t her casting be a reward for her crimes? So, these pieces of criticism sounded reasonable enough.
But there’s a line between being reasonable and being mean. Anyone can dance. In theory, Maksim would know that better than anyone. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but call Anna a “sh*tty dancer.” Even if true, surely, there was a better way to say so.
Anna calls Maksim “poor” over his DWTS criticisms
As a recent guest on The TMZ Podcast, Maksim made his opinions about Anna all too clear. He argued that if DWTS wanted “an ankle brace,” “attention,” and a scandal, there were “so many other people you could choose from.” He said unambiguously that he was “absolutely not” a fan of Anna.
When asked whom he might choose instead, he said, “It doesn’t matter.” Anna’s “job” as “a professional liar” felt unworthy to Maksim. “You’re gonna bring that person and say, ‘Here’s a platform that a lot of people waited their entire actual career [for?]’” He also suggested Anna didn’t deserve DWTS as a platform to say, “This is who I actually am,” compared to other potential stars.
As for her performance, Maksim argued that Anna had the “self-control” to perform with more poise and less stiffness. He didn’t buy the argument that she was nervous. “She’s just a sh*tty dancer … I didn’t even get to see the ‘why’ she got on the show.” On September 23, Anna responded via her Instagram Stories. She simply wrote, “Who’s this Maksim person? He must be poor.”
Dancing with the Stars continues Tuesdays at 8/7c on ABC and Disney+.
TELL US – WHAT DO YOU THINK OF MAKSIM’S TAKES HERE? WHAT DID YOU THINK OF ANNA’S CASTING AND PERFORMANCE?
